Scottish Executive

Airports

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve the access to the Glasgow Prestwick International Airport and the affordability of public transport to the airport from all areas of Scotland.

Lewis Macdonald: Passengers to and from Glasgow Prestwick International Airport are able to benefit from lower cost rail and bus travel through the airport’s partnership arrangements with Strathclyde Passenger Transport and ScotRail, and with Stagecoach and Scottish Citylink. The Scottish Executive has no plans to enhance those arrangements. Completion of the proposed M77 between Newton Mearns and Fenwick will benefit passengers travelling to and from the airport by road.

Central Heating

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what qualifications are held by surveyors employed by Eaga Partnership (Scotland) and what further training they are given following their appointment.

Ms Margaret Curran: The minimum qualifications for surveyors taken on by Eaga are City and Guilds Certificate 6176 "Energy Awareness" and/or NVQ Level 2 "Domestic Energy". Many surveyors have supplemented these qualifications with the NHER Site Assessor qualification. Prior to undertaking surveys for Eaga, surveyors must participate in a four-day training course which is specially designed by Eaga and leading experts in the field. Surveyors have to pass this course before they are approved to carry out surveys.

Central Heating

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many installations of gas central heating systems Eaga Partnership (Scotland) has been responsible for under its central heating programme.

Ms Margaret Curran: Three thousand, two hundred and nineteen gas central heating systems have been installed by Eaga to date.

Central Heating

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many inspections of gas central heating systems installed by Eaga Partnership (Scotland) have been undertaken, what qualifications are held by inspectors carrying out such inspections and what code of practice such inspections must comply with.

Ms Margaret Curran: A total of 2,763 inspections of gas central heating systems have been undertaken to date. All Eaga’s engineers are CORGI registered and are trained to Approved Code of Practice (ACOPS) 1-15 standards. There are various codes of practice that they must comply with. These are: gas safety regulations, specific building regulations, electrical regulations, water byelaws, health and safety and the heating system’s manufacturers guidelines. Eaga’s has its own inspection guidelines which were put together by Eaga and leading industry experts in the field, including British Gas.

Central Heating

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the cost of any inspections of central heating systems installed by Eaga Partnership (Scotland) is paid for from the grant for the installation of the system received by the client or from the management fee.

Ms Margaret Curran: The cost of each inspection is paid for out of Eaga’s management fee.

Central Heating

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what definition of central heating system it uses under its central heating programme and what minimum type of system recipients could expect to receive in each of the fuel categories covered by the programme.

Ms Margaret Curran: The definition of a central heating system is given in the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2001 No. 267. A gas, electric, oil or solid fuel central heating system is typically installed in the living room, the hall, the bathroom and the main bedroom or bedrooms, depending on the size of the household. All systems in the private sector must perform to the specifications set by the Scottish Executive and be capable of achieving a temperature of 23 deg C in the living room and 18 deg C in the other rooms. Local authorities and housing associations have been given these specifications also.

Central Heating

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to extend its central heating installation programme to private sector houses occupied under rent deposit guarantee terms.

Ms Margaret Curran: Tenants who have received assistance under rent guarantee/deposit schemes and meet all the eligibility criteria for the central heating programme are eligible for that programme.

Children

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to support the development of summer play schemes in the west of Scotland.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive is providing £16.75 million of Childcare Strategy funding in the current year to local authorities to deliver affordable, accessible, good quality childcare, including summer play schemes, to meet the local childcare needs of working parents. This includes £3.7 million of funding for Glasgow, with the full breakdown by local authority shown in the following table:

  


Local Authority 
  

£000 
  



Aberdeen city 
  

465.8 
  



Aberdeenshire 
  

788.4 
  



Angus 
  

312.0 
  



Argyll and Bute 
  

280.3 
  



Clackmannanshire 
  

123.8 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

494.4 
  



Dundee City 
  

368.2 
  



East Ayrshire 
  

318.8 
  



East Dunbartonshire 
  

213.1 
  



East Lothian 
  

228.0 
  



East Renfrewshire 
  

187.0 
  



Edinburgh City 
  

1,306.5 
  



Eilean Siar 
  

134.6 
  



Falkirk 
  

343.9 
  



Fife 
  

1,109.0 
  



Glasgow City 
  

3,714.2 
  



Highland 
  

762.9 
  



Inverclyde 
  

201.9 
  



Midlothian 
  

195.4 
  



Moray 
  

247.8 
  



North Ayrshire 
  

379.5 
  



North Lanarkshire 
  

1,079.4 
  



Orkney Islands 
  

102.4 
  



Perth and Kinross 
  

384.4 
  



Renfrewshire 
  

460.4 
  



Scottish Borders 
  

322.0 
  



Shetland Islands 
  

122.1 
  



South Ayrshire 
  

272.2 
  



South Lanarkshire 
  

942.7 
  



Stirling 
  

228.2 
  



West Dunbartonshire 
  

244.8 
  



West Lothian 
  

415.9

Children

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Changing Children’s Services Fund will be allocated for 2002-03.

Cathy Jamieson: Indicative allocations for each local authority area were included in the guidance issued by the Scottish Executive Education Department on 30 October 2001. As indicated in that guidance, it is intended that feedback on proposals will be given in May/June 2002.

Children

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what evaluation will be made of how money from the Changing Children’s Services Fund is allocated for 2002-03.

Cathy Jamieson: Indicative allocations for each local authority area were announced on 30 October 2001, based on a distribution formula weighted for relative population of children and young people, deprivation factors and rurality. An assessment panel will consider whether proposals adequately meet the criteria for the Changing Children’s Services Fund before funding is released.

Children

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are used for deciding which projects will receive funding from the Changing Children’s Services Fund.

Cathy Jamieson: The proposals will be considered by an assessment panel, including officials from the Scottish Executive Development, Education, and Health Departments and a voluntary sector representative, against the criteria set out in the guidance on the fund.

Children

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what role smaller voluntary agencies have played, or will play, in allocating the funds from the Changing Children’s Services Fund for 2002-03.

Cathy Jamieson: Guidance issued on the fund advised that proposals would need to show real evidence of participation by key voluntary organisations (both the larger national organisations and smaller community-based organisations) at each stage in the process. This will be one of the criteria considered in the assessment process.

Children

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking in order to ensure that proposals for funding from the Changing Children’s Services Fund (a) add value to existing services and (b) do not duplicate or substitute work already being carried out.

Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-25302 today, setting out arrangements for considering proposals against the criteria for the Changing Children’s Services Fund, which include those referred to in the question.

Community Safety

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to set up community warden schemes in the Lothians and the Borders or whether it will rule out the use of such schemes in those areas.

Mr Jim Wallace: We have no plans for community support officers with police powers in Scotland to undertake neighbourhood patrols along the lines proposed south of the border. However, the Scottish Executive has provided funding under the Better Neighbourhood Services Fund (BNSF) for a pilot to explore the use of neighbourhood wardens in part of Paisley. Their principal function will be to observe and report incidents to local authority colleagues or the police, as appropriate, with the aim of reducing vandalism and anti-social behaviour.

Diabetes

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many diabetologists there were in each health board area at 31 March and 30 September in each of the past three years.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: Information on the number of doctors recorded as specialising in endocrinology and diabetes at 30 September is shown in the following table. Information at 31 March is not available centrally.

  Medical Staff Recorded as Specialising in Endocrinology and Diabetes

  Headcount at 30 September

  


 

 1998 
 1999 
 2000 


 Consul-
tant 
 Staff 
 Hospital 
Pract-
itioner 3 
 GMP
(para 94 appt.) 3 
 Training
Grades 4 
 Consul-
tant 
 Staff 
 Hospital 
Pract-
itioner 3 
 GMP
(para 94 appt.) 3 
 Training
Grades 4 
 Consul-
tant 
 Staff 
 Hospital 
Pract-
itioner 3 
 GMP
(para 94 appt.) 3 
 Training 
Grades 4 


 Scotland 
 14 
 2 
 3 
 23 
 17 
 18 
 2 
 5 
 31 
 18 
 19 
 1 
 4 
 30 
 26 


 Argyll and Clyde 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 1 


 Ayrshire and Arran 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 3 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 4 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 4 
 - 


 Borders 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 


 Dumfries and Galloway 
  
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 1 


 Fife 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 1 
 1 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 1 
 1 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 1 


 Forth Valley 
 1 
 - 
 - 
 3 
 - 
 1 
 - 
 - 
 3 
 - 
 1 
 - 
 - 
 3 
 - 


 Grampian 
 - 
 2 
 - 
 5 
 4 
 1 
 2 
 - 
 4 
 5 
 1 
 1 
 - 
 4 
 5 


 Greater Glasgow 
 3 
 - 
 - 
 4 
 4 
 3 
 - 
 - 
 6 
 3 
 4 
 - 
 - 
 5 
 9 


 Highland 
 - 
 - 
 1 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 1 
 3 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 1 
 3 
 - 


 Lanarkshire 
 2 
 - 
 1 
 - 
 - 
 3 
 - 
 2 
 - 
 - 
 3 
 - 
 1 
 - 
 - 


 Lothian 
 5 
 - 
 1 
 4 
 8 
 6 
 - 
 2 
 5 
 9 
 6 
 - 
 2 
 6 
 7 


 Orkney 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 1 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 1 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 1 
 - 


 Shetland 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 


 Tayside 
 2 
 - 
 - 
 3 
 - 
 2 
 - 
 - 
 5 
 - 
 2 
 - 
 - 
 4 
 2 


 Western Isles 
 1 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 1 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 1 
 - 
 - 
 - 
 - 



  Notes:

  1. Source: Medical and Dental Census, ISD Scotland.

  2. Table includes honorary appointments.

  3. Hospital Practitioners and GMP (para 94 appts.) are General Medical Practitioners employed part-time in hospitals.

  4. Training grades comprises Specialist Registrars, Senior Registrars, Registrars and Senior House Officers.

Elections

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which companies will assist with the electoral modernisation pilot studies and whether an estimate of the cost of any such studies is now available.

Peter Peacock: No electoral pilot studies have yet been run under the provisions of the Scottish Local Government (Elections) Act 2002.

European Capital of Culture

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it will have in respect of the appointment of members to the Independent Advisory Panel which will scrutinise the bids from the United Kingdom to be European Capital of Culture in 2008.

Dr Elaine Murray: The Independent Advisory Panel which will consider the UK’s nomination for the European Capital of Culture 2008 competition is to be appointed by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. At least one person from each of the four countries of the UK will be included on the panel. The Executive, like all of the devolved administrations, has been invited to make suggestions of possible panel members to the Secretary of State, and we have done so.

European Union

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23950 by Mr Jim Wallace on 3 April 2002, whether any direct representations have been made in Europe about the establishment of European Agencies in Scotland.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have nothing further to add to my previous answer given to question S1W-23950 on 3 April 2002.

Ferry Services

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to Superfast Ferries about recruiting locally-based labour for the on-board ferry crew.

Lewis Macdonald: The recruitment of seagoing staff by Superfast Ferries for its new Rosyth to Zeebrugge service is a commercial matter for the company. I understand that the company recently advertised for seagoing staff in the Scottish press.

Ferry Services

George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what restrictions or conditions it has placed on Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd on running ferry services from Gourock to Dunoon.

Lewis Macdonald: Restrictions on the number of scheduled sailings on the Caledonian MacBrayne, Gourock to Dunoon service, were first imposed in 1982, when Scottish Office ministers restricted the company to one sailing per hour to ensure that public subsidy was not used to undermine an unsubsidised operator on the route. In 1987 Scottish Office ministers acknowledged that the company had added four scheduled services to that hourly service pattern and that these were being operated on a commercial basis, consistent with an Out of Undertaking activity. The Scottish Executive has not placed any further restrictions on the company's operations of the Gourock to Dunoon service.

Ferry Services

George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines it has issued to Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd regarding any reduction in the level of ferry services on the Gourock to Dunoon route.

Lewis Macdonald: None.

  Only the passenger element of Caledonian MacBrayne's service on this route is within the Undertaking between the company and the Scottish ministers. Accordingly, the agreement of ministers is not required if the company wishes to change the level of vehicle service it provides.

Fertility Treatment

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to publish the findings of the review of the implementation of the recommendations of the Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland, published in February 2000.

Malcolm Chisholm: The review of implementation is now complete. This has indicated substantial progress towards the implementation of the recommendations of the Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland (EAGISS). The following table shows the progress made on movement towards adoption of the recommended criteria for eligibility for NHS funded infertility treatment given in the EAGISS report.

  The eligibility criteria, as recommended in the EAGISS report, are as follows:

  Infertility with an appropriate diagnosed cause of any duration, or

  Unexplained infertility of at least three years in duration, and

  Female partner aged less than 38 years at the time of treatment, and

  Neither partner previously sterilised, and

  No child living with the couple in their home, and

  Less than three previous embryo transfers funded from any source.

  

 NHS 
Board 1 
 Diagnosed 
infertility of any duration 
 Unexplained 
infertility of minimum duration of 3 years 
 Female 
partner aged less than 38 years2 
 Neither 
partner sterilised 
 No 
child in couple’s home 
 Less 
than 3 previous embryo transfers funded from any source 


 Argyll and Clyde 
  
 Yes 
 Yes 
 No – WL 35 treatment 
40 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 


 Ayrshire and 
Arran 
 Yes 
 No – 2 years 
  
 No –WL 37Treatment 
39 
 Yes 
 No – neither 
partner to have children 
 Yes 


 Borders 
 Yes 
 No – 4 years 
  
 No – 40 
 Yes 
 No – neither 
partner to have children 
 Yes 


 Dumfries and 
Galloway 
 No – 18 months 
min 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 


 Fife 
 Yes 
 No – 4 years 
  
 No – 39 
 Yes 
 No – neither 
partner to have children 
 Yes 


 Forth Valley 
  
 Yes 
 No – 4 years 
  
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 


 Grampian 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 


 Greater Glasgow 
  
 No – 1 year 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 


 Highland 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 


 Lanarkshire 3

 N/A 
 N/A 
 N/A 
 N/A 
 N/A 
 N/A 


 Lothian 
 No – 3 years 
  
 No – 4 years 
  
 Yes 
 Yes 
 No – neither 
partner to have children 
 Yes 


 Orkney 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 No - 40 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 


 Shetland 
  
 Yes 
  
 Yes 
  
 Yes 
  
 Yes 
  
 Yes 
  
 Yes 
  


 Tayside 
 Yes 
 No – 4 years 
  
 No – 40 
 Yes 
 No – neither 
partner to have children 
 Yes 


 Western Isles 
  
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 



  Notes:

  1. Yes indicates that a board has implemented the EAGISS recommendation. No indicates they have not, the current criteria applied by that board is listed in the table where they do not meet the EAGISS criteria.

  2. WL stands for waiting list and refers to the maximum age of the woman on joining the waiting list.

  3. The figures for Lanarkshire are unavailable.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when the replanting of trees will begin at the foot-and-mouth disease burial site at Birkshaw Forest, Lockerbie.

Ross Finnie: Discussions are currently taking place with Castlemilk Estate about the possibility of some limited replanting of trees at Birkshaw Forest in the current planting season. This would be a welcome development in helping return the site to its former use less than a year since the site was operational during the foot-and-mouth disease epidemic.

Genetically Modified Crops

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to make arrangements for any of its functions in respect of the deliberate release of GM materials to be exercised on its behalf by a Minister of the Crown.

Ross Finnie: An order was laid before the Scottish Parliament on 28 March 2002 in exercise of powers conferred by sections 93(3) and 113 of the Scotland Act 1998. The instrument specifies certain functions for the purposes of section 93(1) of that act, which may be exercised by a Minister of the Crown on behalf of Scottish ministers. The relevant functions in relation to the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms are:

  maintaining the public register;

  determining those particulars which may be excluded from the public register for reasons of commercial confidentiality, and

  receiving and examining applications for consent to release or market genetically modified organisms.

  The order does not transfer ministerial responsibility for these functions but, in practice, provides for suitably qualified officials in a UK Government department to carry out certain functions in accordance with the terms of an agency arrangement. This clarifies an arrangement which has been in place since the mid-1990s and does not constitute any change in practice.

Genetically Modified Crops

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to the European Union that the precautionary principle should apply when considering applications to allow the deliberate release of GM materials into the environment.

Ross Finnie: The precautionary principle is already fundamental to the European regulatory framework governing the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms.

Health

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will investigate the prescribing of steroid creams on the NHS and, in particular, whether repeat prescriptions for children are common practice in any part of the country, given medical advice that courses of steroid creams for children should be limited to five days.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive has no plans to investigate the prescribing of steroid creams on the NHS.

  It is not possible to monitor repeated use of steroid creams in children from data collected centrally. These data relate to prescribed items dispensed in the community and are not patient-specific.

  Guidance on the use of these products is available to doctors from a number of sources. Importantly, the British National Formulary, issued free to doctors, provides prescribing advice, which includes advice on topical corticosteroid use in children.

  The use of these treatments depends on the clinical judgement of the doctor concerned, informed by advice and evidence about their use.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures that NHS boards set their priorities in line with the national clinical priorities.

Malcolm Chisholm: The three national clinical priorities of Coronary Heart Disease/Stroke, Cancer and Mental Health are central to the local health plan produced by each NHS board area, in line with guidance issued by the health department. Additionally, on-going analysis of NHS board performance in each of these areas is undertaken through the year round performance monitoring between the NHS and health department.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it currently provides for counselling services and what projects receive such funding.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.

Housing

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was provided to local authorities in (a) 2000-01 and (b) 2001-02 and will be provided in 2002-03 for the provision of equipment and adaptations to promote independent living at home.

Ms Margaret Curran: Generally it is for local authorities to decide how best to deploy the resources available to them to meet housing need, including the provision of equipment and adaptations to promote independent living at home. However, in 2000-01, a one-off allocation of £5 million was made to local authorities. This was to assist in overcoming any delays in making alterations to the homes of people with disabilities who wished to continue living in their own homes as an alternative to institutional care. The answer given to question S1W-21422 on 18 January 2002, provided a breakdown of this figure by local authority.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24336 by Iain Gray on 16 April 2002, how many (a) people and (b) agencies have been engaged in a consultative capacity by and on behalf of Scottish Homes in each of the last five years and at what cost.

Ms Margaret Curran: The details of individual consultancy assignments on behalf of Scottish Homes over the last five years are not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. However, I can confirm that Scottish Homes total expenditure on fees and consultancy in the last five years was as follows:

  

 

Expenditure on Fees and Consultancy
(£ million) 
  



1997-98 
  

1.820 
  



1998-99 
  

1.539 
  



1999-2000 
  

1.698 
  



2000-01 
  

1.789 
  



2001-021


1.100 
  



  Note:

  1. Estimate.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its strategy for housing includes a national percentage target for home ownership and, if so, what the target is.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive does not have a national percentage target for home ownership in Scotland.

Justice

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average time taken to bring a case to trial was in each sheriffdom in each of the last 10 years.

Elish Angiolini QC: The average number of weeks between pleading diet and trial diet in sheriff/stipendiary summary courts are detailed in the following table:

  

 

March 
  2002 


March 
  2001 


March 
  2000 


March 
  1999 


March 
  1998 


March 
  1997 


March 
  1996 


March 
  1995 


March 
  1994 


March 
  1993 



 Aberdeen 
  

12.0 


12.0 


12.0 


11.0 


11.0 


10.0 


12.0 


13.0 


12.0 


12.0 



 Airdrie 
  

12.0 


18.0 


12.0 


13.0 


12.0 


11.0 


14.0 


18.0 


15.5 


17.0 



 Alloa 
  

16.0 


13.0 


26.0 


12.0 


9.5 


8.0 


10.0 


12.0 


9.0 


11.0 



 Arbroath 
  

13.0 


10.0 


19.0 


12.0 


13.0 


12.0 


15.0 


12.0 


11.0 


12.0 



 Ayr 

15.0 


14.0 


11.0 


10.0 


12.0 


12.0 


11.0 


11.0 


11.0 


9.0 



 Banff 
  

16.0 


20.0 


12.0 


9.0 


9.0 


11.0 


11.0 


11.0 


7.0 


10.0 



 Campbeltown 
  

11.0 


10.0 


10.0 


10.0 


10.0 


6.0 


10.0 


8.0 


9.0 


6.0 



 Cupar 
  

13.0 


13.0 


16.0 


13.0 


13.0 


12.0 


12.0 


11.0 


13.0 


12.0 



 Dingwall 
  

12.0 


12.0 


11.5 


7.0 


8.0 


9.0 


9.0 


10.0 


10.0 


16.0 



 Dornoch 
  

12.0 


10.0 


13.0 


13.0 


7.0 


8.0 


8.0 


8.0 


8.0 


8.0 



 Dumbarton 
  

12.0 


10.0 


13.0 


10.0 


12.0 


13.0 


13.0 


11.0 


10.0 


12.0 



 Dumfries 
  

12.0 


12.0 


13.0 


12.0 


12.0 


12.0 


12.0 


13.0 


10.0 


11.0 



 Dundee 
  

15.0 


16.0 


25.0 


13.0 


18.0 


12.0 


13.0 


14.0 


15.0 


10.0 



 Dunfermline 
  

15.0 


15.0 


16.0 


14.0 


10.0 


11.0 


11.0 


13.0 


13.0 


15.0 



 Dunoon 
  

17.0 


14.0 


10.0 


16.0 


12.5 


12.0 


9.0 


11.5 


8.0 


12.0 



 Duns 
  

8.0 


8.0 


8.0 


8.0 


8.0 


8.0 


12.0 


8.0 


8.0 


4.0 



 Edinburgh 
  

18.0 


18.0 


16.5 


13.0 


14.0 


16.0 


16.0 


11.0 


11.0 


8.0 



 Elgin 
  

14.0 


12.0 


12.0 


9.5 


10.0 


10.0 


11.5 


9.5 


9.0 


7.0 



 Falkirk 
  

14.0 


15.0 


21.0 


9.0 


11.0 


13.0 


10.0 


13.0 


11.0 


13.0 



 Forfar 
  

12.0 


11.0 


11.0 


11.0 


12.0 


8.0 


10.0 


7.0 


10.0 


6.0 



 Fort 
William 

10.0 


9.0 


9.0 


10.0 


6.0 


9.0 


12.0 


12.0 


12.0 


17.0 



 Glasgow 
  

17.0 


13.5 


8.0 


13.0 


17.0 


18.5 


34.0 


36.0 


28.0 


22.0 



 Greenock 
  

16.0 


15.0 


10.0 


10.0 


10.0 


13.0 


15.0 


12.0 


9.0 


12.0 



 Haddington 
  

16.0 


11.0 


11.0 


8.0 


10.0 


9.0 


10.0 


12.0 


13.0 


20.0 



 Hamilton 
  

12.0 


15.0 


10.0 


9.0 


12.0 


12.0 


18.0 


15.0 


18.0 


15.0 



 Inverness 
  

19.0 


12.0 


10.0 


11.0 


11.0 


9.0 


10.5 


11.0 


11.0 


11.0 



 Jedburgh 
  

11.0 


11.0 


11.0 


11.0 


11.0 


10 


8.0 


8.0 


11.0 


9.0 



 Kilmarnock 
  

12.0 


13.0 


11.0 


9.0 


10.0 


14.0 


11.0 


13.0 


15.0 


9.0 



 Kirkcaldy 
  

14.0 


16.0 


18.0 


13.0 


9.0 


10.0 


13.0 


11.0 


9.0 


8.0 



 Kirkcudbright 
  

6.0 


8.0 


9.0 


9.0 


9.0 


10.0 


11.0 


8.0 


12.0 


10.0 



 Kirkwall 
  

8.0 


6.0 


8.0 


8.0 


8.0 


11.0 


8.0 


10.0 


6.0 


6.0 



 Lanark 
  

13.0 


15.0 


10.0 


12.0 


10.0 


14.0 


13.0 


13.0 


10.0 


13.0 



 Lerwick 
  

6.0 


9.0 


6.0 


12.0 


8.0 


10.0 


9.0 


8.0 


7.0 


8.0 



 Linlithgow 
  

13.5 


16.0 


14.5 


14.0 


13.0 


10.5 


30.0 


27.0 


20.0 


18.0 



 Lochmaddy 
  

4.0 


12.0 


8.0 


8.0 


8.0 


12.0 


8.0 


8.0 


12.0 


12.0 



 Oban 
  

13.0 


10.0 


11.0 


11.0 


11.0 


11.0 


11.0 


11.0 


7.0 


3.0 



 Paisley 
  

14.0 


17.0 


11.0 


8.0 


8.0 


12.0 


14.0 


15.0 


16.5 


14.0 



 Peebles 
  

12.0 


9.0 


9.0 


10.0 


13.0 


11.0 


11.0 


10.0 


9.0 


11.0 



 Perth 
  

15.0 


18.0 


36.0 


12.0 


12.0 


14.0 


13.0 


12.0 


9.0 


13.0 



 Peterhead 
  

13.0 


13.0 


12.0 


12.0 


14.0 


16.0 


14.0 


9.0 


9.0 


10.0 



 Portree 
  

8.0 


10.0 


10.0 


8.0 


6.0 


8.0 


10.0 


6.0 


6.0 


6.0 



 Rothesay 
  

8.0 


0.0 


10.0 


0.0 


4.0 


0.0 


0.0 


6.0 


7.0 


10.0 



 Selkirk 
  

12.0 


13.0 


10.0 


10.0 


12.0 


11.0 


8.0 


10.0 


12.0 


8.0 



 Stirling 
  

12.0 


11.0 


26.0 


14.0 


10.0 


8.0 


13.0 


12.0 


8.0 


10.0 



 Stonehaven 
  

11.0 


11.0 


10.0 


10.0 


10.0 


10.0 


9.0 


11.0 


9.0 


13.0 



 Stornoway 
  

12.0 


12.0 


12.0 


12.0 


6.0 


6.0 


6.0 


9.0 


8.0 


11.0 



 Stranraer 
  

9.0 


10.0 


7.5 


7.5 


10.0 


10.0 


10.0 


8.0 


8.0 


11.0 



 Tain 
  

11.0 


13.5 


12.0 


12.0 


14.0 


8.0 


10.0 


8.0 


8.0 


8.0 



 Wick 
  

11.0 


10.0 


12.0 


12.0 


9.0 


12.0 


11.0 


12.0 


12.0 


11.0 




  Notes:

  Please note that the figures for March 2002 are provisional at this time.

  The figures do not take any account of:

  time taken to mark cases and issue complaints,

  time between issue and calling of case at a pleading diet, or

  business which may be allocated early diets – including previously adjourned cases.

Justice

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers are available to sheriffs which would allow them to sentence an offender guilty of fly-tipping, the abandoning of a vehicle or other unlawful dumping of rubbish in a residential area to make good any damage done.

Ross Finnie: Section 202 of the Criminal Procedures (Scotland) Act 1995 permits a sheriff to impose a deferred sentence on an offender and record a condition that he should make good any damage done, either pay a sum of money or repay costs to the complainer by the date of the deferred sentence.

  Under section 249 of the 1995 act the sheriff can impose a Compensation Order, subject to some qualifications and with certain conditions, in respect of an accused who has been convicted of an offence. The order will be imposed for any sum deemed appropriate, which is normally the value of the damage as proved to the court's satisfaction. However, Compensation Orders cannot be imposed as a condition of a deferred sentence.

  These options remain within the sole discretion of the sheriff and there is no formal requirement for him to make such a condition or Compensation Order.

Justice

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made by the Summary Justice Review Committee and when the committee’s findings will be made fully public.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Summary Justice Review Committee is currently undertaking a public consultation exercise on first order issues. Its consultation document can be found at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/summaryjusticereview.

  On the current timetable, the committee’s report will be published in summer 2003.

Libraries

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many men are employed in public libraries, broken down by local authority area.

Dr Elaine Murray: The information is not held centrally. Statutory authority for local libraries in Scotland lies with local authorities. Each local authority is responsible for the employment of staff in the services they run.

Local Government Finance

George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail each financial allocation it made to Argyll and Bute Council in 2001-02 and for what purpose the money was allocated.

Mr Andy Kerr: Details can be found in the document Allocations of Central Government Grant to Local Authorities 2001-02 , a copy of which is held in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 19464).

Longannet Coal Mine

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether discussions took place between it and Her Majesty’s Government prior to 1 March 2002 in regard to the proposal to reclaim £4.5 million for the development of Longannet coal mine.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including energy policy. All subsidies granted to the Scottish Coal Company over the last two years in respect of Longannet mine were paid by the Department of Trade and Industry under its UK Coal Operating Aid Scheme.

Longannet Coal Mine

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether discussions have taken place with Her Majesty’s Government about the future of Longannet coal mine since 29 March 2002.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including the future of Longannet deep coal mine.

Longannet Coal Mine

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to hold an inquiry into the environmental and economic impact of the flooding and subsequent closure of Longannet coal mine.

Lewis Macdonald: We have no such plans. Our current priority is to provide support and assistance for those facing redundancy.

Longannet Coal Mine

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty’s Government in regard to an inquiry into the flooding and subsequent closure of Longannet coal mine.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including Longannet coal mine.

Mental Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it will give to setting up a mental health task force and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Malcolm Chisholm: Following a ministerial led consultation summit in January 2000, involving planners, statutory and voluntary sector providers and users of mental health services, it was agreed to establish a support group to help advance change and improvement. The arrangements for the Mental Health and Well Being Support Group membership, remit and approach are kept under review for continued relevance and to ensure that their contribution to the investment and reform agenda for mental health in Scotland remains effective.

Mental Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what current targets it has set for mental health services; how such targets are evaluated, and what improvements in mental health services have been made since 1997.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Framework for Mental Health Services in Scotland and more recently  Our National Health set the agenda for change and improvement in mental health services in Scotland. Agencies are working toward the benchmarks provided in those documents and the new Performance Assessment Framework which will provide one of a range of evaluation measures on progress made across Scotland. As to progress made since 1997, this is summarised in the Annual Reports, individual area assessment reports and the six-month progress reports published by the visiting Mental Health and Well Being Support Group. These are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre and on the support group website at:

  www.show.scot.nhs.uk/mhwbsg.

Mental Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the additional funding for health announced in the First Minister’s ministerial statement on the UK 2002 budget will be spent on mental health projects.

Malcolm Chisholm: Decisions on the allocation of the additional funds will be announced following the outcome of the Spending Review in September 2002.

Mental Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-3941 by Malcolm Chisholm on 25 October 2001, what actions the National Advisory Group has taken.

Malcolm Chisholm: The National Advisory Group has met twice, on 21 January and 29 April. Its initial focus is on overseeing the development of a national programme for improving mental health, which will have the two main components of information collection and a range of practical initiatives. Proposals for the former include a public attitudes survey, capacity building work for mental health improvement, and the establishment of a national resource to provide information to the field. Current practical initiatives include the continuing work on the National Framework for Reducing Suicide and Deliberate Self harm, the Breathing Space Phoneline for people with low mood or depression introduced on 8 April, the National Anti-Stigma Campaign, which is being led by People Too, and research work on mental health in the workplace, which is being led by HEBS.

  A programme director is now in post to help drive forward the national programme.

NHS Finance

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the additional health funding announced in the First Minister’s ministerial statement on the 2002 Budget will be made available in order to assist in the provision of services by voluntary organisations such as Angus Carers.

Mr Andy Kerr: Details of the allocation of the additional resources for health announced in the First Minister’s statement on the budget will be announced at the end of the Spending Review in September.

NHS Staff

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many health service posts in each health trust are currently funded by charities and how many were in each of the last three years, expressed also as a percentage of the overall number of posts in each trust.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information on positions funded by charities in each health trust is not held centrally but can be obtained by contacting local NHS management. Contact details for NHS management are available on:

  www.show.scot.nhs.uk.

NHS Staff

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people the NHS employs (a) directly and (b) indirectly.

Malcolm Chisholm: A total of 130,028 staff were directly employed in NHSScotland at 30 September 2000, the latest year for which figures are available. The number of all staff indirectly employed by NHSScotland is not available centrally.

  More detailed information on staff employed by NHSScotland can be accessed via ISD Online’s internet publication, Workforce Statistics, at:

  http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/isd/NHSiS_resource/Workforce/workforce_statistics.htm.

NHS Waiting Lists

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the results of its investigation into the removal of over 200 patients from the waiting list for plastic surgery treatment at St John’s Hospital, Livingston, by the West Lothian Healthcare NHS Trust will be announced.

Malcolm Chisholm: I understand that the Chief Executive of West Lothian NHS Trust asked the Information and Services Division (ISD) of the NHS Common Services Agency to review decisions taken by the trust on waiting list classifications, including those in the specialty of plastic surgery, and to advise on whether these decisions were in line with ISD’s National Definitions. I further understand that ISD’s report was submitted to the trust at the end of April.

  The conclusions of the report will be published and its recommendations implemented. In particular, any patients identified as having been inappropriately removed from the waiting list will be immediately reinstated by the trust, and included in its waiting list figures for 31 March 2002.

NHS Waiting Lists

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether investigations in regard to the reclassification of waiting lists are being carried out at NHS trusts other than the West Lothian Healthcare NHS Trust.

Malcolm Chisholm: The review of the management of waiting lists in NHSScotland, which is currently being undertaken by Audit Scotland, includes all NHS trusts. Audit Scotland expects to publish its report by the end of June 2002.

NHS Waiting Lists

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is on target to meet its pledge to reduce NHS in-patient waiting lists to 75,000 by 31 March 2002.

Malcolm Chisholm: Figures for the in-patient/day case waiting list on 31 March 2002, by NHS board and trust, will be published by ISD Scotland on its NHSScotland Acute Activity, Waiting Times And Waiting Lists website on 30 May 2002.

NHS Waiting Lists

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the membership will be of the Audit Scotland inquiry team looking into waiting lists in the NHS in Scotland.

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a list of the Audit Scotland team members conducting the inquiry into deferred waiting lists.

Malcolm Chisholm: The audit is being undertaken by staff of Audit Scotland supported by two staff with a background in medical records seconded from North Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust and Lanarkshire Acute Hospitals Trust.

NHS Waiting Lists

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24494 by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 April 2002, why the information requested by the second part of the question was not given and whether Lanarkshire Primary Care Trust has confirmed that the practices of refusing to accept a referral and closing waiting lists no longer exist.

Malcolm Chisholm: Lanarkshire Primary Care Trust has confirmed that it does not refuse referrals and has no closed waiting lists.

Nursing

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many infection control nurses are currently undergoing training.

Malcolm Chisholm: There are two providers of training for infection control nurses in Scotland. The University of Dundee offers a Bachelor of Nursing degree with Specialist Practitioner Qualification in Infection Control nursing and University of the Highlands and Islands Millennium Institute offers a Masters degree in infection control.

  Between the two institutions there are 27 nurses working in Scotland currently undergoing training.

  In addition, the University of Dundee is beginning recruitment to a fast track training programme in September 2002. Twenty funded places are available and will be targeted at newly appointed infection control nurses.

  Proposals for investment in a new national training scheme on infection control for up to 3,500 frontline nurses will be formally presented at an international summit on health care associated infection to be held this summer.

Nursing

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many agency nurses were employed in hospitals in each of the last three financial years; what proportion of hospitals use the bank hour system in order to meet staffing levels, and whether it will issue any guidance on the recruiting of more permanent staff in place of relying on agency staff and the bank hour system.

Malcolm Chisholm: The number of agency nurses employed in NHSScotland in each of the last three years, expressed as an average whole time equivalent (WTE), is as follows:

  


1998-99 
  

1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  



537.5 
  

562.1 
  

725.1 
  



  The average WTE figure represents the number of agency nurses that on average work in NHSScotland on any given day.

  Information on the number of hospitals using the bank hour system is not held centrally.

  The Accounts Commission for Scotland (now Audit Scotland) published their report on the employment of bank and agency nurses in Scotland entitled Temporary Measures in February 2000. Employers are expected to employ permanent staff. Before a bank or agency nurse is employed, employers should have gone through the criteria for employing bank and agency nurses set out in the report. Audit Scotland has advised that they are currently carrying out a review of ward-based nursing in NHSScotland which will include a follow-up on the trusts implementation of the main recommendations in their earlier report; the new report is expected in the autumn.

  Trusts were written to in September last year and again on 7 February this year reminding them that they should be using the Accounts Commission criteria. Use of agency nurses will be monitored through the Staff Governance Standard.

Planning

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it received the draft Structure Plan covering the Stirling area and when it will issue its decision on the plan.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Clackmannanshire and Stirling Structure Plan was submitted to the Scottish ministers for consideration on 24 August 2000. The plan was approved, with modifications, on 21 March 2002.

Planning

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether planning authorities are required to take cognisance of the National Playing Fields Association’s Six Acre Standard and, if so, what status this standard has in influencing consideration of development applications on school playing fields.

Ms Margaret Curran: The standard is included in National Planning Policy Guideline 11: Sport; Physical Recreation and Open Space  to illustrate how planning authorities can develop their own open space standards to take account of local circumstances. Councils are encouraged to develop their own standards, as part of an open space strategy, which should be reflected in development plans and taken into account when determining planning applications. A Planning Advice Note will be issued in the summer to assist authorities with preparing open space strategies and developing local standards.

Planning

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what legal advice it has had on whether it is legally competent for local authorities to attach planning conditions to planning applications from supermarkets which require the supermarket to source a certain amount of its supplies locally.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Executive’s policy on the use of planning conditions is as set out in Circular 4/1998. This requires that conditions should be necessary, relevant to planning, enforceable, effective, precise and reasonable in all other respects. It is, of course, for individual local authorities to apply planning conditions in specific cases, however, National Planning Policy Guideline (NPPG) 8: Town Centres and Retailing requires that conditions should not seek to control details of particular products but apply only to the main ranges of goods.

Planning

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been, or are being, taken to rejuvenate town and village centres that have been adversely affected by out-of-town retail developments.

Ms Margaret Curran: National Planning Policy Guideline (NPPG) 8: Town Centres and Retailing , provides guidance to local authorities encouraging the retention and development of local facilities in town and village centres. The Executive has also issued a Planning Advice Note (PAN) 59 to authorities on improving town centres.

Police

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many officers in Lothian and Borders Police Force claimed Criminal Injuries Compensation in each year since 1997.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is not held centrally.

Police

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many officers left Lothian and Borders Police Force as a result of work-related ill health in each year since 1997.

Mr Jim Wallace: Information on the number of work-related ill-health retirements is not held centrally. It would be open to the member to approach Lothian and Borders Police to obtain these figures. The numbers of officers from Lothian and Borders Police who retired early on ill-health grounds in 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-01 are 22, 32, 32 and 35 respectively. Better management of ill-health retirement is currently being considered by the Police Negotiating Board which advises Government on the pay and conditions of police officers.

Police

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many officers in Lothian and Borders Police Force have been the subject of a complaint in each year since 1997.

Mr Jim Wallace: Information on the basis sought is not held centrally. The following table gives the number of complaint allegations made involving officers in Lothian and Borders Police and also the number of cases investigated:

  

 Year 

Complaint allegations made 


No of cases investigated 



 1996-97 

426 


251 



 1997-98 

385 


210 



 1998-99 

492 


320 



 1999-2000 

619 


347 



 2000-01 

625 


340 




  Notes:

  1. An allegation may involve a complaint against more than one officer. A case is defined as a single investigation undertaken by an investigating officer into one incident or a group of incidents following a complaint by one or more persons.

  2. Neither of the columns in the table equate to the number of officers who have been the subject of a complaint because, for example, more than one person may make a complaint about a single officer, someone may make a complaint about a number of officers or an officer may be the subject over a period of more than one complaint.

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of long-term prisoners held at (a) HM Prison Shotts and (b) HM Prison Glenochil are from outwith central Scotland.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23460 by Mr Jim Wallace on 11 March 2002, how many offers for buildings at HM Prison Penninghame were received by the closing date originally advertised at the time of the buildings first being placed on the open market.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-24286 on 8 April 2002.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23460 by Mr Jim Wallace on 11 March 2002, whether the buildings at former HM Prison Penninghame were placed again on the open market following any withdrawal from sale; if so, how many times and, in each case, whether a new closing date for offers in respect of the sale was set and how many offers were received by each such closing date.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  No.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff have been transferred from HM Prison Kilmarnock to other establishments operated by Premier Prison Services Ltd in (a) 1998-1999, (b) 1999-2000, (c) 2000-01 and (d) 2001-02 and 2002-03 to the present date.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  This is a matter for Kilmarnock Prison Services Limited.

Public Transport

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its options are in regard to ensuring greater consistency in public transport fares throughout Scotland.

Lewis Macdonald: Across all modes of public transport the underlying principle is that fares should reflect journey costs, be paid by those making the journeys and be determined by transport operators. However, the Scottish Executive’s Rural Transport Fund provides support for certain scheduled bus and ferry services that would otherwise not operate or operate at considerably higher fares, while the Executive also provides subsidy support for lifeline air and ferry services in the Highlands and Islands.

Public Transport

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates would be the effect on (a) the number of cars using motorways and (b) greenhouse gas emissions of provision of a faster, more frequent and more reliable public transport service between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Lewis Macdonald: The effects would result in a positive impact but the evidence suggests that this would not be to any significant or quantifiable extent. The existing rail service is already faster and more reliable than the car for journeys between the city centres. Further improvements in the service will benefit the existing public transport users but are unlikely to lead to a significant shift in the number of travellers from car to public transport.

Rail Network

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what efforts can be made to provide direct rail services between Dunbartonshire and Edinburgh.

Lewis Macdonald: Dunbartonshire already has some links to Edinburgh by direct rail services, with several of the weekday Glasgow to Edinburgh Shuttle services stopping at Lenzie in both directions, and at least one train per day from Edinburgh calling at Bishopbriggs.

  In addition, a number of major studies are currently looking at transport in the central belt, including options to increase capacity on the rail network and the feasibility of introducing entirely new services, along with their associated infrastructure requirements. Proposals for enhancements to the current level of services will also be considered as part of the process for reletting the Scottish passenger rail franchise.

Rail Network

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase train capacity at Edinburgh Waverley station and what the timetable is for the completion of any such plans.

Lewis Macdonald: A steering group, which includes representatives from the Scottish Executive, Strategic Rail Authority, Railtrack and City of Edinburgh Council, has been established to take the re-development of Waverley Station forward. This will provide increased train capacity. It is too early to be certain about the timetable, but the steering group aims to begin construction after preparatory work and site investigations are completed in 2004, with a target date for full redevelopment of the station by 2008.

Rail Network

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on any plans of Strathclyde Passenger Transport in respect of constructing a rail link to Strathbungo and what consideration has been given to any impact of such a link on the financing and delivery of the M74 northern extension.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive has had initial discussions about the Strathbungo Link with Strathclyde Passenger Transport. Those discussions include an assessment of the impact of the proposed link on the M74 northern extension. No decision has yet been reached on the Strathbungo Link or the final alignment of the M74 where it crosses the proposed link.

Rail Network

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when work will begin on the construction of the Maryhill to Anniesland rail link and when the powers to provide this link expire.

Lewis Macdonald: The British Railways Order Confirmation Act 1994 conferred powers on the British Railways Board in respect of a rail link between Anniesland and Maryhill. I understand that the parliamentary powers expire in March 2004.

  There are a number of complex technical and legal matters to address before work can start on the rail link. We are continuing to press both the Strategic Rail Authority and Railtrack to take this project forward. The outcome of the various discussions will determine how the project will be managed and a possible timetable for delivering this rail link.

Rail Network

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when a decision will be made on the route for the Glasgow to Edinburgh fast rail link.

Lewis Macdonald: Improvements to the Edinburgh to Glasgow service was one of the key strategic priorities in Scotland featured in the Strategic Rail Authority’s Strategic Plan , published in January 2002. These proposed improvements will be informed by a number of major studies that are currently looking at transport in the central belt, particularly capacity issues in terms of rail, and due to report by the summer.

  In addition, services on this route will be considered as part of the Scottish Executive’s Directions and Guidance for the new Scottish Passenger Rail Franchise, which will be issued to the Strategic Rail Authority by the summer.

Rail Services

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7588 by Sarah Boyack on 22 June 2000, what the timetable is for the renewal of the Scottish rail passenger franchise.

Lewis Macdonald: The timetable for the renewal of the Scottish rail passenger franchise is as follows:

  the Scottish Executive's Directions and Guidance to the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) will be issued this summer;

  the SRA will subsequently invite bids later in 2002;

  initial bids will then be evaluated and short-listed;

  short listed bidders will be invited to submit a Best and Final Offer before a preferred bidder is selected, with whom to negotiate a new franchise agreement, and

  the new franchise will begin on 1 April 2004.

Rail Services

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what policy initiatives are being considered to reduce the costs to passengers of rail travel between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Lewis Macdonald: Where ticket prices are not regulated by the Strategic Rail Authority they are for the Train Operating Company to determine. However, the process for the letting of the next Scottish passenger rail franchise will give bidders the opportunity to come forward with ways of reducing the costs to passengers of all rail travel, including that between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Rail Services

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial incentives and penalties are being considered in the context of the renewal of the Scottish rail passenger franchise to ensure that passengers receive better value for money rail services.

Lewis Macdonald: The next Scottish rail passenger franchise will be subject to the Strategic Rail Authority's performance regime.

Rail Services

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what efforts will be made to encourage tenderers for the renewal of the Scottish rail passenger franchise to come forward with innovative schemes to improve the rapidity and reliability of rail services, especially on the Edinburgh to Glasgow route.

Lewis Macdonald: The refranchising process will provide an opportunity for all tenderers for the renewal of the Scottish rail passenger franchise to come forward with innovative schemes in their bids to improve the rapidity and reliability of all rail services, including on the Edinburgh to Glasgow route.

Rail Services

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether consideration has been given under the renewal of the Scottish passenger rail franchise to more than one provider delivering services throughout Scotland.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is considering a range of options for taking the Scottish passenger rail franchise forward after 2004 to ensure the best value for money. The Executive believes that what is needed is more rather than less integration of Scottish rail services, and that letting the next franchise to more than one operator could lead to fragmentation of services.

Rail Services

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been undertaken to study any link between the affordability of rail travel and passenger numbers.

Lewis Macdonald: A wide range of publicly available research into the determinants of rail demand has been undertaken by academic and other interests. In addition, the rail industry has undertaken a large amount of commercial-in-confidence research.

Rail Services

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it will give to the cross-ownership of public transport services by potential tenderers for the Scottish rail passenger franchise.

Lewis Macdonald: This is one of a wide range of issues that will be considered during the evaluation of bids received for the Scottish rail passenger franchise.

Rail Services

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports concerns raised by Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive about the importance of securing a Eurostar link from Scotland to the continent.

Lewis Macdonald: European and international railway services are a reserved matter under the devolution settlement. Under the UK Transport Act 2000, the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) is required to prepare a strategy relating to services in various parts of Great Britain for facilitating the carriage of passengers or goods by rail via the Channel Tunnel. Publication of this strategy is scheduled for later this year.

  The SRA has also indicated that it will be carrying out consultation as part of this work. This will allow further consideration of the issues concerning regional access to Channel Tunnel passenger services.

Rail Services

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to consult with (a) the Parliament and its Committees and (b) the general public in regard to the renewal of the Scottish rail passenger franchise.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive will present to the Transport and Environment Committee of the Scottish Parliament its draft Directions and Guidance to the Strategic Rail Authority in June 2002.

  The Executive launched an extensive public consultation in November 2000 with its paper Strategic Priorities for Scotland's Passenger Railway. The Executive published a summary of responses received in June 2001.

Road Traffic Regulations Acts

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-23115 and S1W-24243 by Lewis Macdonald on 7 March and 3 April 2002 respectively and given that the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 referred to does not itself contain or repeat any definition of "prescribes", whether his use of the word "prescribes" complies with the definition contained in the Road Traffic Acts of 1972 and 1988 and the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984.

Lewis Macdonald: The definitions of "prescribes" under the Road Traffic Acts 1972 and 1988 and the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 relate to secondary legislation made under those acts. They are not relevant to the Skye Bridge Special Road Scheme which was made under section 7 of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984.

Roads (Scotland) Act 1984

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the source is of the statutory definition of "prescribe" as relied upon by sections 7 and 8 of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984.

Lewis Macdonald: The word "prescribe" does not have a single statutory definition. Sections 7 and 8 of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 are silent on a specific meaning of the term. It is therefore taken to have its meaning in common usage, which is "to specify, state or set out".

Rural Development

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been, or are being, taken to rejuvenate village and town high streets in rural areas.

Ms Margaret Curran: Land use planning contributes to sustainable rural development, which is a key priority for the Executive. The Executive has issued National Planning Policy Guidelines and Planning Advice Notes encouraging the retention of and development of local facilities in town and village centres. Local authorities are encouraged to adopt their own approaches to town and village rejuvenation, which reflect local circumstances.

Scottish Conveyancing and Executry Services Board

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has reached conclusions on the proposal to abolish the Scottish Conveyancing and Executry Services Board following the announcement on the outcome of the review of non-departmental public bodies on 21 June 2001.

Mr Jim Wallace: We have reviewed comments on this proposal, but conclude that these do not present persuasive arguments for retention of the board. Our assessment remains that the policy of introducing competition with solicitors in relation to executry and conveyancing services has had very limited success, that it is unlikely that the number of registrations will increase to the point where the board could become self-funding and that the status quo would result in a continuing burden on the taxpayer to provide an on-going subsidy.

  We have therefore decided to promote statutory provisions in the Public Appointments and Public Bodies (Scotland) Bill to abolish the board and transfer its responsibilities for qualified conveyancers and executry practitioners to the Law Society of Scotland. The society has had long experience of the supervision of solicitors and is well placed to assume responsibility for the regulation of those professions. We are very grateful to the society for its willingness to take on this responsibility.

  From the date of transfer of responsibility to the society, it will not be possible to register as an independent qualified conveyancer, though those already registered will be able to continue to practise in that capacity. Qualified conveyancers and executry practitioners will continue to be able to practise in an employed capacity under the society’s supervision. Students on relevant law courses who wish to pursue a future career as a qualified conveyancer or executry practitioner will still be able to do so.

Scottish Executive Finance

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual underspend was in each of its budgets in each financial year since 1999 and how each such underspend has subsequently been allocated.

Mr Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the figures provided in response to questions S1W-8299 and S1W-18253, which set out the year end balances carried forward and re-allocation to budgets.

Scottish Transport Group Pension Schemes

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any additional element of surplus in the Scottish Transport Group pension funds which accrues in the current financial year will be made over in full to the members of the funds or whether any such sum will be paid to other persons or bodies.

Lewis Macdonald: The audited report and accounts for the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes in respect of the final accounting period are due to be received by the Executive shortly. The position as regards distribution of the surplus remains as I announced to Parliament on 29 November 2001 (motion S1M-2486).

Sexual Health

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-18369 and S1W-20351 by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 October 2001 and 7 December 2001, whether the Health Education Board for Scotland has completed its research for the purposes of informing the development of a sexual health strategy and when it expects to publish the strategy.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The Health Education Board for Scotland has completed its research. The Executive is now carrying out additional work on preliminary data, informed by other on-going research. No date for the publication of the strategy has yet been set.

Shellfish

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures exist to prevent the over picking of cockles and shellfish from beaches and inshore waters.

Ross Finnie: In terms of fisheries management, ministers have powers under the Inshore Fishing (Scotland) Act 1984 to prohibit fishing in any specified area of Scotland's inshore and intertidal waters. In the past, these powers have mainly been exercised to protect fish stocks or in the pursuit of resolving conflict between fishermen using different types of gear. Ministers also have powers under the Sea Fisheries (Shellfish) Act 1967 to provide local management organisations with powers to manage local shellfisheries sustainably under Regulating Orders.

  Where an intertidal area is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) may, at the time of notification of the SSSI, have specified cockle or other shellfish harvesting as an operation likely to damage the features of interest of the SSSI. If so, any owner or occupier proposing to carry out such an activity would have to consult SNH regarding the proposal and SNH may enter into a management agreement which would prevent the owner or occupier from carrying out the operation.

  In cases where the person proposing or carrying out the cockle or other shellfish harvesting is not the owner or occupier of the SSSI, or where it does not prove possible for SNH to enter into a management agreement with the owner or occupier of the SSSI, Scottish ministers may, after consultation with SNH, make a Nature Conservation Order under section 29 of the 1981 act to restrict the operation, if that operation is likely to destroy or damage the feature of interest for which the SSSI has been designated. Nature Conservation Orders to control shellfish collecting are currently in place on a number of SSSIs around Scotland where this activity would cause damage to the features of interest of the sites.

  Where an intertidal area is classified as a Special Protection Area (SPA) under the EC Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the Conservation of Wild Birds (the Birds Directive) or as a proposed Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the EC Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora (the Habitats Directive), Scottish ministers may, after consultation with SNH, make a Special Nature Conservation Order under Regulation 22 of the Habitats Regulations to restrict an activity, which could include harvesting of cockles or other shellfish, if that operation is likely to destroy or damage the feature of interest for which the SPA has been classified or the SAC proposed.

Shellfish

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it will provide to Scottish Natural Heritage about the stripping of cockles and shellfish from Burntisland Bay in Fife.

Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive has discussed this issue with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). SNH has a general function under section 2 (1)(a) of the Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act 1991 to provide advice to Scottish ministers or any other minister on the development and implementation of policies for or affecting the natural heritage of Scotland.

Shellfish

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers local authorities and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) have in regard to the protection of cockles and shellfish from over picking from beaches and inshore waters.

Allan Wilson: Where an intertidal area is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, SNH may, at the time of notification of the SSSI, have specified cockle or other shellfish harvesting as an operation likely to damage the features of interest of the SSSI.

  Local authorities may in certain circumstances have general legal powers to intervene in this area.

Shellfish

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what policies it intends to develop in order to prevent over-picking of cockles from areas like Burntisland Bay in Fife.

Ross Finnie: I understand that an interim interdict was recently served on cockle handgatherers preventing them from fishing in Burntisland Bay. The Scottish Executive will consider conducting an assessment of the effect of the handgatherers activities on the features of the Firth of Forth Special Protected Area and whether this is sustainable in the longer-term.

  The Scottish Executive is also considering possible legislative reforms arising from its policy statement The Nature of Scotland. Future legislative proposals will address the protection of Sites of Special Scientific Interest and may, in particular, afford them increased protection from the actions of third parties.

Social Work

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1O-4829 and S1O-4736 by Cathy Jamieson on 7 March 2002 and 28 February 2002 respectively, whether its forthcoming plans and strategies regarding social workers will address (a) a review of payscales and other terms and conditions, (b) meaningful supervision and support, (c) restricted caseloads, (d) training and development opportunities and (e) increased access to resources.

Cathy Jamieson: Issues of pay and other terms and conditions for social work staff are matters for employers and are not centrally determined.

  Supervision, support and caseload size are operational matters, determined locally.

  The Action Plan launched on 18 April outlined the future direction of training for the wider social care workforce, for social workers and for management.

  The Executive has made available additional funds over the last two years in relation to children’s services, community care, criminal justice and drug misuse.

  In March 2002 additional funding of £3.5 million was distributed to local authorities to support frontline staff in social work.

Transport

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations of its report Proposals for a Highlands and Islands Integrated Transport Authority .

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive’s report demonstrated that in the short term the priority should be strengthening partnership working amongst the local authorities in the Highlands and Islands. Consequently, joint working between the partners in the region has been strengthened. This is illustrated by the move from a forum to a Strategic Partnership; the implementation of the partnership’s successful bid to the Public Transport Fund in 2001; the creation of HITRANS and the recent formalisation of its constitution and funding arrangements. This has been aided by a commitment from the Scottish Executive to match fund HITRANS’ constituent councils’ contributions to the development of a Joint Transport Strategy for the area, on which work is substantially under way.

Transport

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether targets will be set for reducing average journey times between Glasgow and Edinburgh by (a) rail and (b) motor vehicles.

Lewis Macdonald: We have no such targets.

Voluntary Organisations

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it can take to ensure that the services provided by voluntary organisations, such as Angus Carers, are offered in appropriate cases by GPs and other NHS staff.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: GPs and NHS staff have an important role to play in offering advice and information to patients and carers, and many already do this routinely. The Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002 will enable Scottish ministers to require NHS boards to prepare "carer information" strategies, to ensure that carers are informed that they may be entitled to an assessment by the local authority of their ability to care. Local authorities in turn can give carers and service users advice on local sources of support. We will be discussing with the NHS and carers’ organisations how carer information strategies should work to support the partnership of care between carers, local authorities and the NHS.

Voluntary Organisations

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to provide primary health care services with details of voluntary organisations in their areas.

Malcolm Chisholm: The arrangements for the provision of advice on voluntary organisations are a matter for local NHS organisations, in liaison with other agencies. Local Health Care Co-operatives and primary care teams have an important role in providing information regarding voluntary services to patients, carers and the public. General advice and information on voluntary organisations in Scotland can be accessed through the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations. In addition, local information can be accessed through the national network of Councils for Voluntary Service and the local authority for each area.

Water Safety

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether East of Scotland Water contravened drinking water guidelines in the EH9 postcode area in the last year and, if so, how many times any such contraventions occurred and what the cause was of each such contravention.

Ross Finnie: Data provided by Scottish Water concerning the drinking water quality results for the water supply zones covering postcode area EH9 during 2001 indicated that there were no breaches of the drinking water regulations for that postcode in 2001.

Water Supply

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Scottish Water and the former North of Scotland Water Authority in connection with the provision of the public water supply for Glenborrodale.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has had no contacts with Scottish Water or North of Scotland Water Authority on the specific issue of a public water supply for Glenborrodale.